Author of the article:
Soldatova Lyudmila Nikolaevna
Candidate of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Clinical Dentistry of the St. Petersburg Medical and Social Institute, Chief Physician of the Alfa-Dent Dental Clinic, St. Petersburg
Today, almost everyone knows that teeth need especially careful care. We buy expensive pastes and use special thread. But, unfortunately, when taking care of our teeth, we completely forget about the tissues surrounding them, while the health of our gums needs to be monitored no less carefully.
Many people are familiar with the symptoms when the gums begin to hurt when pressing between the teeth. And many, unfortunately, ignore this unpleasant pain. Let's figure out what can cause it, what these sensations indicate, and how to relieve unpleasant symptoms.
Causes of pain in the gums when pressing
Remember, discomfort in your gums is a reason to see a dentist. No matter what kind of pain you feel, relatively mild or severe, you need to determine the cause of the problem as soon as possible and begin treating it.
As a rule, pain in the gums when pressed is provoked by three diseases:
- Gingivitis. This disease is accompanied by swelling of the mucous membrane and bleeding. Inflammation is provoked by microbial plaque, which occurs due to non-compliance or improper oral hygiene.
- Periodontitis. The disease, as a rule, is accompanied not only by unpleasant sensations, but also by a general deterioration in well-being. The patient feels which tooth is bothering him, as his “elevation” is felt above the other teeth.
- Periodontitis. The disease occurs due to untreated gingivitis. With periodontitis, the necks of the teeth open, pus oozes from the gums, and the teeth become mobile. The problem affects the entire cavity and can lead to tooth loss.
Injury
You can injure your gums with an impact, as a result of a burn, even with careless brushing of your teeth. If you have injured the oral mucosa, it is better to carry out antiseptic treatment of the wound surface.
Often, gums are injured chronically. Tissues are subject to constant injury due to:
- broken bite;
- punctures (piercings) of the tongue, lips or cheeks;
- incorrectly selected prosthesis;
- habits of biting off threads with teeth, etc.
Chronic injury entails a serious complication - tissue necrosis, which is treated exclusively surgically.
Treatment of gum pain
It is important to treat gum disease as soon as possible. Any, even the most harmless pathology, can turn into periostitis with high fever, swelling of the mucous membranes and loose teeth. Moreover, inflammation in the gums releases toxins that provoke the development of blood poisoning.
You should not discount the possibility of pain in the gums when pressing due to illiterate treatment by a dentist. Normally, pain after treatment persists for 1-2 weeks. If the pain continues longer and does not subside, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible. It happens that after poor-quality dental canal filling, bacteria appear in the voids, which provoke an infectious process.
The dentist may also leave the edges of the filling uneven, causing damage to the gums. In this case, you should definitely consult a doctor so that he can improve his work.
Attacks of pain when pressing on the gums are also common with increased sensitivity of the teeth and gums. However, with proper care, this pain goes away quite quickly. When it occurs, you should use toothpastes and rinses for sensitive teeth.
For example, ASEPTA Sensitive preventive toothpaste allows you to perform oral hygiene without irritating sensitive gums. The combination of 3 desensitizing components - potassium citrate, hydroxyapatite, thermal mud - significantly reduces the sensitivity of teeth and gums.
For more effective prevention of pain in the oral cavity, it is recommended to use ASEPTA gum gel with propolis. In this product, propolis is produced in the form of a gel, which makes it easy to apply to the gums. Prolonged contact with the painful area of the gum allows the gel components to penetrate deeper and promotes rapid healing.
The cause of pain when pressing on the gums can also be various injuries to the gums and teeth, received, for example, when trying to crack nuts or toffee. Such injuries also need to be shown to the dentist as soon as possible, otherwise there is a possibility of an inflammatory process.
How to relieve pain when pressing on the gums
Remember, only a dentist can help eradicate the pain experienced when pressing on the gums or teeth. It is important to quickly determine the cause of the discomfort and prescribe proper treatment. However, to eliminate discomfort before visiting a doctor, you can try the following methods:
- Take painkillers, such as paracetamol or analgin. The main thing is not to overdo it with such drugs, as they can be addictive and negatively affect the functioning of internal organs.
- Brush your teeth properly, trying to free the inflamed cavity from plaque and food particles.
- Rinse your mouth with a solution of baking soda, furatsilin or potassium permanganate.
Remember, it is strictly forbidden to warm your cheeks and gums or apply warm compresses to the sore spot. Heat can trigger more severe inflammation. Also, you should not take antibacterial or anti-inflammatory drugs without a doctor’s prescription.
It is also prohibited to put analgesics into the cavity of a diseased tooth. This popular method is far from safe: you can not only cause an infection, but also get a serious burn to the mucous membrane.
What teeth are called dead?
The concept of “dead” is rather common, but in medicine such teeth are called pulpless (without pulp - loose fibrous tissue penetrated by nerve endings, lymphatic and blood vessels).
If living teeth are those in which there is a nerve that provides nutrition and growth, then dead teeth practically cease to receive nutrients. But, even being separated from the nervous and circulatory systems, they continue to remain a component of the dentofacial apparatus and affect the state of other units in the series.
Treatment for gum pain
The treatment tactics for pain in the gums when pressing depends on the cause of the disease. If the pain appears due to problems with the teeth, the canals are filled or refilled. The doctor removes the source of inflammation. Advanced stages of the disease are treated with surgery and removal of the diseased tooth.
If the cause of pain in the gums when pressing is their inflammation, it can be relieved with medications prescribed by the dentist. As a rule, in such cases, the doctor prescribes antibiotics or other penicillin drugs. Rinse must be prescribed.
Folk remedies – decoctions of medicinal herbs – also help relieve pain and inflammation. Oak bark, chamomile, and sage perfectly remove unpleasant sensations. A solution of baking soda with a few drops of iodine also helps relieve inflammation.
Other popular methods for treating inflammation at home are:
- Propolis tincture
has antibacterial and antimicrobial effects. To prepare it, dilute a teaspoon of tincture in 200 ml of water. You need to rinse your mouth with propolis up to five times a day. - Massage with oils
has a beneficial effect on the gums. It is not at all difficult to do: apply a few drops of tea tree, eucalyptus, juniper or fir oil to the pads of the thumb and index fingers of one hand. You need to massage the gums gently for 5-10 minutes. After the massage, you should not rinse your mouth. - Aloe
also contains many anti-inflammatory components. For gingivitis or stomatitis, you can chew a fresh leaf of this plant a couple of times a day.
Nutrition: prevention of inflammation
If gingivitis is the cause of pain when pressing on your gums, it is important to review your diet by including healthy foods in your diet. To prevent future diseases, first of all, you need to consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables:
- Apples and pears contain a lot of pectin, which helps accelerate tissue regeneration.
- Citrus fruits are a real storehouse of vitamin C, which also helps reduce bleeding and inflammation.
- Black currants, blackberries, and raspberries contain a large amount of minerals and vitamins that increase the body's resistance.
- Carrots, cabbage and zucchini are valuable fiber and vitamins that enhance metabolic processes in the body and accelerate tissue regeneration.
To prevent gum inflammation, professional teeth cleaning is also recommended. The procedure is carried out by a dentist and allows you to eliminate all accumulated deposits and tartar.
So, now you know the most common causes of pain in the gums when pressing. Remember: when your gums or teeth bother you, you should never put off visiting the dentist. The sooner the doctor determines the cause of the problem and begins treatment, the greater your chances of saving your teeth, gums and avoiding possible complications.
Sources:
- The role of anti-inflammatory rinse in the treatment of periodontal diseases (L.Yu. Orekhova, A.A. Leontyev, S.B. Ulitovsky) L.Yu. OREKHOVA, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Prof., Head of Department; A.A. LEONTIEV, dentist; S.B. ULITOVSKY, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Prof. Department of Therapeutic Dentistry of St. Petersburg State Medical University named after. acad. I. P. Pavlova
- Clinical studies of antisensitive toothpaste “Asepta Sensitive” (A.A. Leontyev, O.V. Kalinina, S.B. Ulitovsky) A.A. LEONTIEV, dentist O.V. KALININA, dentist S.B. ULITOVSKY, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Prof. Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, St. Petersburg State Medical University named after. acad. I.P. Pavlova
- The effectiveness of the use of Asept “adhesive balm” and Asept “gel with propolis” in the treatment of chronic generalized periodontitis and gingivitis in the acute stage (Municipal Dental Clinic No. 4, Bryansk, Kaminskaya T. M. Head of the therapeutic department Kaminskaya Tatyana Mikhailovna MUZ City Dental Clinic No. 4, Bryansk
Why does pain occur?
Gums don’t hurt out of nowhere, which is why they need to be treated in the dentist’s office and not at home. All kinds of folk recipes are only suitable for alleviating symptoms, but they do not eliminate the cause of the manifestation.
Pain in the gums occurs for the following reasons:
- Due to the development of a cyst.
- After tooth extraction.
- Against the background of inflammatory processes.
- Due to an incorrectly selected toothbrush.
- Due to a carelessly installed filling or crown that touches the gums.
- The main reason why the marginal part of the gum may hurt is the eruption of a wisdom tooth.
If a person’s gums hurt throughout the entire oral cavity, this indicates a serious inflammatory process. When the pain is localized near one or several teeth, the cause should be sought in them.
Gingivitis
Gingivitis can be caused by irregular teeth brushing. Neglect of oral hygiene standards leads to the formation of plaque, which turns into tartar. The latter provokes the development of an inflammatory process in the soft tissues, as a result of which the mucous membrane of the gums becomes inflamed.
Symptoms of gingivitis:
- accumulation of plaque on teeth;
- specific odor from the mouth;
- the gums swell and become purplish-red;
- bleeding;
- pain often spreads throughout the entire oral cavity;
- the upper part of the gum adjacent to the tooth hurts;
- The acute form of the disease is manifested by pustules and severe itching.
Periodontitis
Periodontitis is a consequence of untreated gingivitis. The disease is chronic, inflammation affects everything that surrounds the tooth.
Symptoms:
- with periodontitis, the tooth begins to loosen;
- the gums near the tooth hurt a lot;
- suppuration and bleeding appear;
- body temperature may rise;
- there is a general weakened state of the body;
- tooth sensitivity increases;
- gums become red.
Periodontitis
Periodontitis should not be confused with periodontitis. Although the symptoms of these diseases are similar, the first disease is a consequence of the second. The inflammation is first localized in the gums, but if the disease is advanced, the deep tissues that hold the tooth root in the bone fossa are affected.
